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Air-Propelled Hybrid A Howling Success!

Several weeks ago I got a ten-horsepower DC electric motor and installed a four-bladed three-foot-diameter propeller on the shaft. I mounted it above the trunk-lid, facing backward, using a framework made of Uni-Strut which is attached to the roof-rack and bicycle-rack connectors of my 2002 Prius. I wired it to a simple on-off switch connected to the main battery. I now have an electric-motor-driven pusher-propeller driven automobile! My gas mileage has increased from 50 miles per gallon to over 90 miles per gallon. The only problem is the noise of the propeller is very loud.

Nikola
Apr. 1, 2006

I have seen Nikola's Prius on the freeway and while it looks strange, you really can't see the propeller when it's turning. Isn't that dangerous?

Fred
Apr. 1, 2006

Fred. I will put a shroud on the propellor later, but nobody is anywhere near the propellor when it's turning as I only run it when I am moving on the highway.

PS - I learned the hard way today to keep all the windows closed when using the propeller. My hat fell off and got sucked through it!

Air-Propelled Hybrid A Howling Success!

Air-Propelled Hybrid A Howling Success!

This may have a side effect, however. As an aircraft pilot, there is a thing that I know that is called "wind-milling" (may be called something else). It is when the engine fails (or etc.), and instead of the propeller propelling, it becomes an effective wind-turbine, freewheeling away while causing high drag.

So unless you can "feather" the propeller when you don't want it running, it will actually create drag and lower mileage while spinning when the motor is not running (wind-milling) and your driving along at high speeds.

Interested

I was just looking at this similar idea myself for an increase in highway gas mileage. I travel on the highway quite frequently and as long as the propeller was being propelled (along with the help of your initial speed) i would think that you could maintain a decent speed (again, the THOUGHT entered my head, not the actual science/math behind it). I'm aware also of what the pilot was talking about with the drag, and I was hoping to have some kind of mount/dismount option where it could be flattened out when not in use. However in my initial idea i was thinking of a much smaller propeller. Anyone who has any comments or questions or want to swap crazy ideas, feel free to email me at oppassum@yahoo.com or talk to me on AIM at oppassum.